Gyudon (Japanese Beef Rice Bowl)
With thinly sliced beef and tender onions simmered in a savory-sweet sauce and spooned over steamed rice, Gyudon (Japanese Beef Rice Bowl) is synonymous with comfort. It's is a simple, satisfying meal that's ready in 20 minutes!
Servings: 2
Calories: 657kcal
Ingredients
- ½ onion (4 oz, 113 g)
- 1 green onion/scallion
- ½ lb thinly sliced beef (chuck or ribeye) (you can also slice your own meat)
For the Sauce
- ½ cup dashi (Japanese soup stock) (use standard Awase Dashi, dashi packet or powder, or Vegan Dashi)
- 2 Tbsp sake (substitute with dry sherry or Chinese rice wine, or use water for a non-alcohol version)
- 2 Tbsp mirin (or use 2 Tbsp sake/water + 2 tsp sugar)
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp sugar (to taste)
For Serving
- 2 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice (typically 1⅔ cups (250 g) per donburi serving)
- pickled red ginger (beni shoga or kizami beni shoga) (to garnish)
Instructions
Before You Start...
- For the steamed rice, please note that 1½ cups (2 rice cooker cups, 300 g) of uncooked Japanese short-grain rice yield 4⅓ cups (660 g) of cooked rice, enough for 2 donburi servings (3⅓ cups, 500 g). See how to cook short-grain rice with a rice cooker, pot over the stove, Instant Pot, or donabe.
- Gather all the ingredients. I usually put the thinly sliced beef in the freezer for 10 minutes because it‘s a lot easier to cut semi-frozen meat.
To Prepare the Ingredients
- First, thinly slice ½ onion.
- Next, cut 1 green onion/scallion diagonally into thin slices. Set aside.
- Then, remove ½ lb thinly sliced beef (chuck or ribeye) from the freezer. Cut the semi-frozen meat into pieces 3 inches (7.6 cm) wide.
- In a large frying pan (do not turn on the heat yet), add ½ cup dashi (Japanese soup stock), 2 Tbsp sake, 2 Tbsp mirin, 3 Tbsp soy sauce, and 1 Tbsp sugar. Stir to combine and dissolve the sugar.
- Next, add the onion slices and spread them in the broth throughout the pan, separating the onion layers.
- Then, distribute the meat on top of the onions. Separate the thin slices of beef so the meat covers the onions.
To Cook
- Cover the pan with a lid. Now, turn on the heat to medium and start cooking. Once simmering, turn down the heat to simmer and cook, covered, for 3–4 minutes.
- While simmering, open the lid and skim off the scum and fat from the broth once or twice with a fine-mesh skimmer (find it on Amazon and JOC Goods).
- Sprinkle the green onions on top and cook covered for another minute. Optional: If you would like to add beaten eggs, you can do it now (refer to my Tanindon recipe for detailed instructions).
To Serve
- Divide 2 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice into large donburi bowls. Then, drizzle some of the pan sauce on top of the rice.
- Put the beef and onion mixture on top of the rice. If you’d like, drizzle additional remaining sauce on top. Top the gyudon with pickled red ginger (beni shoga or kizami beni shoga). Enjoy!
To Store
- You can keep any leftover beef and egg mixture in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2–3 days and in the freezer for up to 3–4 weeks.
Equipment
- rice cooker (or use a pot, donabe, or Instant Pot)
Notes
Longtime JOC readers may remember my original gyudon recipe from 2011 called Kansai Sukiyaki-Style Gyudon. I've included the cooking steps here. Skip the dashi, but otherwise use the same ingredients listed in the recipe above, except where noted:
1. Stir-fry the onions with a tablespoon of oil (not listed in the above recipe) until tender.
2. Add the beef, sprinkle the sugar on top, and quickly stir to combine.
3. Add the sake, mirin, and soy sauce and cook until the meat is no longer pink.
4. (Optional) Slowly drizzle a thin stream of beaten egg over the beef; do not mix them together. Add the green onions on top. Cook, covered, on medium-low heat until the egg is almost set or done to your liking (but don’t overcook it).
5. Serve over steamed rice and enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 657 kcal · Carbohydrates: 85 g · Protein: 31 g · Fat: 17 g · Saturated Fat: 7 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 8 g · Cholesterol: 69 mg · Sodium: 65 mg · Potassium: 468 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 10 g · Vitamin A: 23 IU · Vitamin C: 4 mg · Calcium: 25 mg · Iron: 6 mg